She had just lost another member of her family.
SERAFINA LEANED HER head back and stared up through the fronds of the kelp forest. Night was falling. She could see the rising moon’s pale rays on the water.
“‘Happily.’ That’s what she said. ‘Happily,’ Isabella is dead….As she smiled and sipped her wine.”
Her voice caught. Coco twined her arms around her waist. Neela kissed her cheek. Yaz took her hand.
“Oh, Sera,” Neela said. “I’m so, so sorry.”
Finally, when she was able to speak again, Sera said, “Somebody has a talisman. Orfeo’s black pearl. I don’t know who he is, only that Vallerio and Portia are helping him. Yaz, Neela, do you know? And do you know anything about labor camps and prisoners?”
Neela told her everything that had happened to her after they’d parted company in the Incantarium.
Sera was sickened by her description of the labor camps. “How could they do such a thing? How could my uncle?” she asked. “Nothing can explain it. Not even his nineteen years of pain.”
“We’ve got to find out who this he is,” Yazeed said, releasing her hand.
“We’ve got to get the black pearl from him,” said Serafina.
“We’ve got to get out of here first,” Neela said.
The kelp they were hiding in grew so densely that they had to float upright in it. They could not sit down and stretch their tails out.
“Who are we still missing?” Yazeed asked.
“Bartolomeo and Luca,” came the reply from farther in the kelp. It was Niccolo.
“We wait for another half hour, then we head for the safe house,” Yaz said.
Serafina felt a thump. Coco had nodded off, floating upright. The child’s heavy head had fallen on her shoulder.
“I’m going to swim a little farther into the forest,” she whispered, picking Coco up. “See if I can find a place where she can stretch out. I won’t go too far. Give a whistle when the others get here.”
Yazeed nodded and Serafina pushed her way through the tall, leafy stalks. Abelard followed her. A few minutes later she came across a small clearing—only it wasn’t empty, as she’d hoped. It contained two long earthen mounds. Each had broken bits of bronze statuary lying on top of it. She saw a torso on one. A hand. A plaque. Fins. Part of a tail.
She bent over and carefully lowered Coco to the ground. The little merl woke instantly. “What’s going on?” she asked fearfully. “Death riders?”
“Shh, Coco, it’s okay. I was just trying to find a place for you to sleep,” Serafina said.
Coco blinked at the mounds. “What are those? Graves?” she asked.
“I think so,” said Serafina.
She swam closer and saw that the broken pieces had been arranged in an orderly fashion, with the tail fins at the bottom of the mounds, and faces at the top. She leaned over to have a look at the bronze faces, and realized, with a gasp, that she knew them. They were the faces of her parents.
Fresh sorrow welled up inside Sera. She dropped to the sea-floor, wondering how it was possible that her heart could break over and over again and still keep on beating.
The pieces scattered across the graves, she thought. They’re from statues that used to stand in Cerulea. She recognized one of her mother. It had stood in a square in the fabra and had been a very good likeness of her.
Hand-lettered markers at the heads of the graves proclaimed the occupants to be the Regina Isabella and her consort, Principe Bastiaan. MAY YOU REST IN STILL WATERS was written under each of their names.
As Sera traced the letters of her father’s name, she heard an agitated rustling in the kelp stalks. A few seconds later, an angry old merman with a rusty spear stormed into the clearing. He looked like a stickleback—gray on top and orange underneath, with short, spiky fins.
“What are you doing here?” he asked crossly, pointing his spear at her.
“We’re paying our respects,” Serafina said.
“Oh,” he said, lowering the spear. “Well, that’s all right, then. I was worried you was some of them filthy marauders who killed the regina and her husband.”
“No,” Serafina said. “We didn’t even know their graves were here. Who buried them?”
“I did. Name’s Frammento. I live just over there.” He hooked a thumb behind him. “I make my living picking the dump and selling what I find. Found a bit more than I bargained for one night—two bodies wrapped up in a blood-soaked carpet.”
Sera flinched at his words, but quickly masked her grief. She didn’t want the old merman to guess who she was.
“They was Isabella and Bastiaan,” Frammento continued. “Traho’s thugs must’ve wanted to get rid of ’em all quiet-like so none of their subjects would have a place to gather. I was heartbroken when I found ’em. Mad as hell, too. I carried ’em away and gave ’em a proper burial.”
“That was very good of you,” Sera said, more grateful to the merman than she’d ever be able to say.
“It’s not much. Wish I could’ve done more. I had nothing to fancy the graves up with at first, but then Traho started pulling down statues and I was able to collect some pieces and bring ’em here. No one knew about the graves at first, but then one or two people happened on ’em and word spread. More and more come to pay their respects now. I’ll leave you in peace to pay yours.” He tipped his cap and then he was gone.
Coco, who was peering closely at the graves, said, “Oh, no. Sera, look at that.” She pointed to a small pile of rubble near the top of Isabella’s grave.
It was the crown that had rested on the statue’s head. It had been made not from gold or silver, but from red coral branches—a gift from the sea.
“It must’ve cracked and fallen off when Frammento put the head here,” Coco said as Abelard nosed the pieces. “I’ll fix it. I’m really good at canta prax. I was always breaking Ellie’s stuff and I always fixed it before she found out.” She sat down on the ground and started to fit the pieces back together.
Serafina barely heard her. She was looking at her mother’s beautiful face. Strong and serene, it gazed out at her now. She touched its cold cheek.
“The resistance is so brave, but it’s weak and scattered, Mom,” she whispered. “Safe houses are being raided. There isn’t enough to eat. Some of our people are very sick. So much needs to be done. Here in Cerulea against Vallerio and Portia. Out in the seas against Abbadon. I don’t know where to start.”
Her mother always had the answer. And Sera desperately needed it now. But the bronze face was silent.
“Got it!” Coco suddenly said. The coral crown was whole again. She lifted it off the seafloor, carried it to Serafina, and placed it on her head.
“This was Isabella’s crown but she’s gone, so it’s yours. You’re the regina now. Not Lucia,” she said. She threw her arms around Serafina’s neck and hugged her tightly.
Sera hugged Coco back, grateful for the little merl’s faith in her, and for her constant love. As Sera released Coco, her eyes fell on the plaque that had adorned the base of Isabella’s statue. She could see the words incised upon it. She knew them well. They had been the motto of Merrow, and of every Merrovingian ruler since.
The love of the sea folk is my strength.
That was it. The answer she needed. It had been there all along.
She heard Thalassa’s voice now: A ruler’s greatest power comes from her heart—from the love she bears her subjects, and the love they bear her.
Vrăja’s: Nothing is more powerful than love.
And Elena’s: Love’s the greatest magic of all.
Love was Merrow’s greatest power. And her mother’s. It would be hers, too. She would fight to the death for her people. She would take her city, and her realm, back. She would stop the evil in the Southern Sea. Not with terror, cruelty, and hatred, like Traho. But with love.
“Thank you, Mom,” she whispered.
“Come on,” she said to Coco, as she rose. “Let’s go. It’s time we got to the safe house and got ourselves organized again. I have a resistance to lead.”
As the two swam off to join the others, Serafina’s back was straight, her head was high.
There was a dangerous new light in her eyes.
IN THE EAST CHINA SEA, a large trawler moved slowly through the water. Rafe Iaoro Mfeme was sitting in a chair on the ship’s aft deck, watching the last rays of the sun paint the sky. His hair was covered by a baseball cap. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses. A flawless black pearl dangled from a chain around his neck. His right hand was bloodied.
Across from him was a mermaid bound to a chair with rope. Blood dripped off her chin. Her head lolled on her chest. One of her black braids had come loose.
Her sword rested on top of a table. Her bag had been torn apart. Its contents lay strewn across the deck—a few cowries, some transparensea pebbles, a water apple, and letter tiles from a terragogg word game.
“This is getting tedious,” Mfeme said, turning to her.
The mermaid lifted her head and spat out a mouthful of blood. Her lip was split. One of her eyes was swollen shut.
“Sorry to hear you say that,” Ling said. “I’m having a fabulous time.”
Mfeme cracked his knuckles. “I’ll ask you again: where is the talisman?”
“And I’ll tell you again: I have no idea,” Ling said.
“Do you think I’m joking? I’ll cut your ears off and throw them to the sharks.”
“Good. I won’t have to listen to you anymore.”
Mfeme grabbed Ling’s hair and yanked her head back.
“There are all kinds of pain, Ling. There’s the kind you’re feeling right now, but there’s a worse kind, too. The kind you’re going to feel when I find your father, haul him up on this boat, and cut off his ears, all because you won’t tell me what I want to know.”
“Good luck with that. My father’s dead. I don’t know where the talisman is. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
Mfeme let go of her. “I’d like to kill you. I’d like that very much.”
“Then do it and stop wasting my time.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t. You’re valuable to me and you know it. You’re smart, Ling, but you’re not smart enough. All this time, and you still have no idea who you’re dealing with, do you?”
“Actually, I do. You’re Traho’s boat boy. His gogg lackey.”
“I’m afraid you have that the wrong way around,” Mfeme said.
He removed his sunglasses.
Ling gasped. His eyes had no irises, no white. They were entirely black.
Mfeme swept his hand through the air and her letter tiles slid across the deck. As Ling watched, they spelled out his name.
RAFE IAORO MFEME
Then slowly the tiles rearranged themselves.
“No,” Ling said in horror, as she saw what they spelled. “It can’t be. You’re dead. You’ve been dead for four thousand years!”
I AM ORFEO FEAR ME
THIS PAGE IS where you thank the people who helped you make a book, and once again, I’d like to thank my wonderful family, and the awesome team at Disney, for their support and enthusiasm for Rogue Wave and the whole Waterfire Saga. But there’s one person in particular I’d like to thank here—the person who first introduced me to my mermaid friends: my longtime agent, Steve Malk.
An agent’s role in a writer’s life is huge—he’s a business partner, confidante, cheerleader, adviser, and if you’re as lucky as I’ve been, a friend. I can’t adequately thank Steve for all he’s done for me in these few lines, but I’m going to try anyway. Here goes.
Thank you, Steve, for your insight, wise counsel, and constant good humor—all of which I prize so highly. Thanks for loving music and chocolate as much as I do. I’d split my last ginger-sesame-wasabi truffle with you, and I know you’d do the same for me. Thanks for talking me off the ledge more times than I can count. Thanks for caring enough to always tell me what’s wrong with a manuscript as well as what’s right. Thanks for your genuine and enduring love of children’s books. Most of all, thanks for helping me make my living doing what I love. My whole life, I’ve wanted to be a writer. Because of the hard work you do on my behalf, I get to be.
ABBADON an immense monster, created by Orfeo, then defeated and caged in the Antarctic waters
ABELARD Coco’s sand shark
ACQUA GUERRIERI Miromaran soldiers
AGORA public square
AHADI, EMPRESS the previous female ruler of Matali; Mahdi’s mother
ALÍTHEIA a twelve-foot, venomous sea spider made out of bronze combined with drops of Merrow’s blood. Bellogrim, the blacksmith god, forged her, and the sea goddess Neria breathed life into her to protect the throne of Miromara from any pretenders.
ALMA the woman Orfeo loved; when she died, he went mad with grief
AMAH nursemaid
AMARREFE MEI FOO a pirate who attacked the Demeter, looking to steal the infanta’s blue diamond
APĂ PIATRĂ an old Romanian protection songspell that raises water and hardens it into a shield
ARAN, EMPEROR the current male ruler of Matali; Neela’s father
ARMANDO CONTORINI duca di Venezia, leader of the Praedatori (a.k.a. Karkharias, the Shark)
ASKARI members of Kora’s personal guard in Kandina (ASKARA, sing.)
ASTRID teenage daughter of Kolfinn, ruler of Ondalina
ATLANTICA the mer domain in the Atlantic Ocean
ATLANTIS an ancient island paradise in the Mediterranean peopled with the ancestors of the mer. Six mages ruled the island wisely and well: Orfeo, Merrow, Sycorax, Navi, Pyrra, and Nyx. When the island was destroyed, Merrow saved the Atlanteans by calling on Neria to give them fins and tails.
AVA teenage mermaid from the Amazon River; she is blind but able to sense things
BABA VRĂJA the elder leader—or obârşie—of the Iele, river witches
BABY Ava’s guide piranha
BALTAZAAR first minister of finance from the start of Merrow’s reign
BARRENS OF THIRA the waters around Atlantis, where the Opafago live
BASTIAAN, PRINCIPE CONSORTE Regina Isabella’s husband and Serafina’s father; a son of the noble House of Kaden from the Sea of Marmara
BECCA a teenage mermaid from Atlantica
BEDRIEËR one of three trawlers that Rafe Mfeme owns
BELLA Italian for beautiful
BENGALESE BLUEFIN DRAGON gentle, calm, good for pulling wagons and carriages
BILAAL, EMPEROR the previous male ruler of Matali; Mahdi’s father
BING-BANG a Matalin candy
BIOLUMINESCENT a sea creature that emits its own glow
BLACK FINS members of a Cerulean resistance group headquartered in the Ostrokon
BLOODBIND a spell in which blood from different mages is combined to form an unbreakable bond and allow them to share abilities
BLOODSONG blood drawn from one’s heart that contains memories and allows them to become visible to others
BLU, GRIGRIO, AND VERDE three Praedatori who help Neela and Serafina escape Traho
BRACK a frothy ale brewed from sour sea apples
BUONO Italian for good
CABALLABONG a game involving hippokamps, similar to the human game polo
CANTA MAGUS one of the Miromaran magi, the keeper of magic (MAGI, pl.)
CANTA MALUS darksong, a poisonous gift to the mer from Morsa, in mockery of Neria’s gifts
CANTA MIRUS special song
CANTA PRAX a plainsong spell
CARA Italian for dear one
CARCERON the prison on Atlantis. The lock could only be opened by all six talismans. It is now located somewhere in the Southern Sea.
CERULEA the royal city in Miromara, where Serafina lives
CETO leader of the Clan Rorqual, humpback whales
CHILLAWONDA a Matalin candy
CLIO Serafina’s hippokamp
COMMOVEO a songspell that can be used to push objects
CONCH a shell in which recorded information is stored
CONFUTO a canta prax spell that makes humans sound insane when they talk about seeing merpeople
CONVOCA a songspell that can be used for summoning and communicating with people
CORRENTE LARGO the Lagoon’s main thoroughfare
COSIMA a young girl from Serafina’s court; nickname: Coco
COUNCIL OF THE SIX WATERS a meeting of representatives from all of the water realms
CURRENSEA mer money; gold trocii (TROCUS, sing.), silver drupe, copper cowries; gold doubloons are black market currensea
DAÍMONAS TIS MORSA demon of Morsa
DANKLING a person’s deepest fears; Rorrim Drol feeds on them
DARKSONG a powerful canta malus spell that causes harm; legal to use against enemies during wartime
DEATH RIDERS Traho’s soldiers, who ride on black hippokamps
DEMETER the ship that Maria Theresa, an infanta of Spain, was sailing on when it was lost in 1582 en route to France
DESIDERIO Serafina’s older brother
DOKIMÍ Greek for trial; a ceremony in which the heir to the Miromaran throne has to prove that she is a true descendant of Merrow by spilling blood for Alítheia, the sea spider. She must then songcast, make her betrothal vows, and swear to one day give the realm a daughter.
DRACA the language spoken by dragons
DUCHI DI VENEZIA created by Merrow to protect the seas and its creatures from terragoggs
EELISH the language spoken by eels
EKELSHMUTZ one of the four goblin tribes
ELYSIA capital of Atlantis
EVEKSION the god of healing
FABRA marketplace
FEUERKUMPEL goblin miners, one of the Kobold tribes, who channel magma from deep seams under the North Sea in order to obtain lava for lighting and heating
FILOMENA Duca Armando’s cook
FOSSEGRIM one of the Miromaran magi, the liber magus, the keeper of knowledge
FRAGOR LUX a songspell to cast a light bomb (FRAG, abbr.)
FRESHWATERS the mer domain that encompasses rivers, lakes, and ponds
GHOST SHIP a shipwreck entwined with the life force of a human who died onboard; it does not rot or rust
GREAT ABYSS a deep chasm in Qin where Sycorax’s talisman is believed to be located, and where Ling’s father disappeared while exploring
HAGARLA queen of the Razormouth dragons
HALL OF SIGHS a long corridor in Vadus, the mirror realm, whose walls are covered in mirrors; every mirror has a corresponding one in the terragogg world
HARAKA a form of martial arts practiced by the Askari
HIPPOKAMPS creatures that are half horse, half serpent, with snake-like eyes
HÖLLEBLÄSER goblin glassblowers, one of the Kobold tribes
HOROK the Keeper of Souls in Atlantis, who took the dead to the underworld, holding each soul in a white pearl
IELE river witches
ILLUMINATA a songspell to create light
ILLUSIO a spell to create a disguise
INCANTARIUM the room where the incanta—river witches—keep Abbadon at bay through chanting and waterfire
IRON repels magic
ISABELLA, LA SERENISSIMA REGINA Miromara’s ruler; Serafina’s mother
JANIÇARI Regina Isabella’s personal guard
JANTEESHAPTA a Matalin candy
JUA MAJI a village in Kandina
KANDINA a region in the western part of Matali, near the Madagascar Basin, ruled by Kora
KANDINIAN from Kandina; the language spoken in Kandina
KANJAYWOOHOO a Matalin candy
KARKHARIAS “the Shark,” or leader of the Praedatori
KENGEE sun ray in Kandinian; the symbol of Jua Maji
KHELEFU the grand vizier of Matali
KIONGOZI Kora’s general
KIRAAT Matali’s medica magus
KOBOLD North Sea goblin tribes
KOLFINN Admiral of the artic region, Ondalina
KOLISSEO a huge open-water stone theater in Miromara that dates back to Merrow’s time
KOOTAGULLA a Matalin pastry with many layers
KORA the mermaid ruler of the Matalin region of Kandina, as a vassal of the emperor; leader of the Askari
KUWEKA MWANGA, DADA YANGU Kandinian for Keep the light, my sister
KYR Neria’s youngest son, whom Merrow saved from a shark attack
LA SIRENA LÁCRIMA The Mermaid Tear, the blue diamond given to Maria Theresa, an infanta of Spain, on her sixteenth birthday
LAGOON the waters off the human city of Venice, forbidden to merfolk
LAGOONA a resident of the Lagoon
LAKSHADWA BLACKCLAW DRAGON one of the many types of dragons that breed in Matali and are the main source of the realm’s wealth; huge and powerful and used by the military
LAVA GLOBE a light source, lit by magma mined and refined into white lava by the Feuerkumpel
LIBER MAGUS one of the Miromaran magi, the keeper of knowledge
LING a teenage mermaid from the realm of Qin; she is an omnivoxa
LUCIA VOLNERO one of Serafina’s ladies-in-waiting; a member of the Volnero, a noble family as old—and nearly as powerful—as the Merrovingia
MADAGASCAR BASIN where the Razormouth dragons breed; in western Matali, near Kandina
MAGGIORE Italian for bigger
MAHDI crown prince of Matali; Serafina’s betrothed; cousin of Yazeed and Neela
MARIA THERESA an infanta of Spain who was sailing to France on the Demeter in 1582 when it was attacked by a pirate, Amarreffe Mei Foo
MARKUS TRAHO, CAPTAIN leader of the death riders
MATA-JI a Matalin term for mother
MATALI the mer realm in the Indian Ocean. It started as a small outpost off the Seychelle Islands and grew into an empire that stretches west to the African waters, north to the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and east to the shores of Malaysia and Australia.
MATALIN from Matali
MEDICA MAGUS mer equivalent of doctor
MEERTEUFEL one of four goblin tribes
MEHTERBAŞI leader of the Janiçari
MĒĒRĒ DILA, MĒRĪ ĀTMĀ Matalin for My heart, my soul
MERL Mermish equivalent of girl
MERMAID TEAR another name for Neria’s Stone, the blue diamond that Neria gave to Merrow
MERMISH the common language of the sea people
MERROVINGIA descendants of Merrow
MERROVINGIA REGERE HIC The Merrovingia rule here
MERROW a great mage, one of the six rulers of Atlantis, and Serafina’s ancestor. First ruler of the merpeople; songspell originated with her, and she decreed the Dokimí.
MERROW’S PROGRESS Ten years after the destruction of Atlantis, Merrow made a journey to all of the waters of the world, scouting out safe places for the merfolk to colonize.
MGENI ANAKUJA Kandinian for A stranger is approaching
MINA Brazilian slang for a female friend
MIROMARA the realm where Serafina comes from; an empire that spans the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic, Aegean, Baltic, Black, Ionian, Ligurian, and Tyrrhenean seas, the seas of Azov and Marmara, the Straits of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles, and the Bosphorus
MOLLUSKA the language spoken by octopi
MOONSTONE Navi’s talisman; silvery blue and the size of an albatross’s egg, with an inner glow
MORSA an ancient scavenger goddess, whose job it was to take away the bodies of the dead. She angered Neria by practicing necromancy. Neria punished her by giving her the face of death and the body of a serpent and banishing her.
MOSES POTION a liquid from the Moses sole in the Red Sea that puts people to sleep
NÄKKI murderous shapeshifters in the northern Atlantic
NAVI one of the six mages who ruled Atlantis; Neela’s ancestor
NEELA a Matalin princess; Serafina’s best friend; Yazeed’s sister; Mahdi’s cousin. She is a bioluminescent.
NERIA the sea goddess
NERIA’S STONE a blue, tear-shaped diamond that Neria gave to Merrow for saving Kyr, her youngest son, from a shark attack
NEX a darksong spell used to kill
NGOME YA JESHI the compound of the Askari, Kora’s personal guard
NOCÉRUS a darksong spell used to cause harm
NYX one of the six mages who ruled Atlantis; Ava’s ancestor
NZURI BONDE the village in Kandina where Kora lives
OMNIVOXA (OMNI) mer who have the natural ability to speak every dialect of Mermish and communicate with sea creatures
ONDALINA the mer realm in the Arctic waters
OODA Neela’s pet blowfish
OPAFAGO cannibalistic sea creatures that lived in Miromara and hunted mer until Merrow forced them into the Barrens of Thira, which surround the ruins of Atlantis
ORFEO one of the six mages who ruled Atlantis; Astrid’s ancestor
OSTROKI the mer version of librarians
OSTROKON the mer version of a library
PALAZZO Italian for palace
PANI YOD’DHA’OM Matali’s water warriors
PERMUTAVI a pact between Miromara and Ondalina, enacted after the War of Reykjanes Ridge, that decreed the exchange of the rulers’ children
PESCA the language spoken by fish
PETRA TOU NERIA Neria’s Stone, a blue, teardrop-shaped diamond that Neria gave Merrow for saving Kyr, Neria’s youngest son, from a shark attack
PITA-JI a Matalin term for father
POMPASOOMA a Matalin pastry
PORTIA VOLNERO mother of Lucia, one of Serafina’s ladies-in waiting; wanted to marry Vallerio, Serafina’s uncle
POSIDONIA a sweet wine made from fermented seaweed
PRAEDATORI soldiers who defend the sea and its creatures against terragoggs; known as Wave Warriors on land
PRAESIDIO Duca Contorini’s home in Venice
PRAX practical magic that helps the mer survive, such as camouflage spells, echolocation spells, spells to improve speed or darken an ink cloud. Even those with little magical ability can cast them.
PRINCIPESSA Italian for princess
PRIYA a Matalin term of affection
PYRRHA one of the six rulers of Atlantis; Becca’s ancestor
QIN the mer realm in the Pacific Ocean; Ling’s home
RAFAEL the justice of the seas who officiates at Mahdi’s and Sera’s exchange of vows
RAFE IAORO MFEME worst of the terragoggs; he runs a fleet of dredgers and super trawlers that threaten to pull every last fish out of the sea
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